Head's E-letter Vol XIII issue XXXVI

Tuesday, August 11, 2015

Dear Parents,

I wanted to send along news from Suffield as we prepare for the 2015-2016 academic year. We are looking forward to seeing everyone on campus in just a few weeks.

Our enrollment will again be around 415, and students will come to Suffield from 19 states and 35 countries. We will also be joined by seven new faculty members. Brief profiles of our new colleagues are listed below. The summer issue of Suffield magazine was recently mailed to all parents and alumni. You can also read it online at www.suffieldacademy.org/page/Campus-Life/Publications.

As I mentioned in the last E-Letter, this year's school theme is balance. Our goal is to examine factors that enhance stability and steadiness. In addition to campus programs, several guest speakers will help us explore the theme. These include James Crotty, Scott Fried, Laura Sloate, Chris Herren, Christine Brennan, and Janet Fontana. Fortunately, we will also be able to use programming in the Hillary Rockwell Cahn '88 Balance Barn.

I am pleased to write that construction of our dining room and student center is proceeding well. Brewster Hall and Stiles Walk look remarkable. We will have ideal space for community lunches and dramatically enhanced areas for student life. The new day student locker area is a particularly exciting upgrade. This $15 million series of projects marks a wonderful achievement for Suffield. This is the fourth major step in executing our 2011 Campus Master Plan, following Hoffman College Counseling Center, a campus perimeter road, and Holcomb Science Building. You can track progress of the construction projects on the school's webcam (http://web.suffieldacademy.org/webcam).

The most up-to-date materials for registration week and beyond are on the school website (www.suffieldacademy.org/parents). All families will be receiving information from the academic dean's office next week, and boarding students will get dormitory assignments near the end of the month. As we look forward to registration, we would like for all students (new and returning) to bring their laptop computers in order to ensure that we have the appropriate documentation for each machine. Jason Healy (Director of Technology) will email another reminder about this as we get closer to Labor Day.

We are excited to see everyone soon and formally welcome our new students and parents to the Suffield Academy community.

Sincerely,

Charlie Cahn

Headmaster

Anna Ausubel joins our Science Department and will teach Biology and Advanced Psychology. Anna is a graduate of Bowdoin College and Commonwealth School. For the past three years she taught at Kent Denver School, and she previously worked at The Park School and St. Paul's School. She spent several summers as a counselor at Camp Wingate-Kirkland. In addition to her teaching, Anna will coach cross-country and be involved in other afternoon programs. She will live on campus and be a dorm associate in Tompkins.

Noah Bakker joins our Science Department and will teach physics and math. He is a 2015 graduate of Middlebury College. Noah spent much of his childhood at Deerfield Academy, where his father is a long-time faculty member. He graduated from Deerfield in 2011. Noah has worked at the Northfield Mount Hermon Summer Program and as a teacher tutor in Uganda. He will be a dorm parent in Hornick and will be involved with our water polo and basketball programs.

Jenny Graham joins our Visual Arts Department and will teach several multimedia and photography courses. A graduate of University of Hartford's Art School, Jenny earned her master's degree at the University of Connecticut, focusing on Educational Psychology and Educational Technology. She taught at Miss Porter's School for the past five years, serving most recently as Chair of the Computer Science Department. Jenny's husband, Matt Graham, joined Suffield's Technology Department last year. Jenny will be the dormitory head in Kotchen and oversee afternoon visual arts specials.

Barb Massa joins our Languages Department and will teach Spanish. Barb is a 2015 graduate of Trinity College and in 2014 she studied in Barcelona, Spain. Barb played four-years of college volleyball at Trinity, serving as team captain in 2014. She has also worked as a ski instructor at Okemo Mountain Resort. She will be Suffield's head volleyball coach and will assist with skiing. Barb will live on campus and be a dorm associate in Academy.

Jonathan Medwid '96 joins the Marketing & Communications Office. Since 2006 Jonathan has been a technical writer and engineering assistant with Belcan Engineering Group. He has also done freelance writing for the Suffield Academy magazine. Jonathan is an accomplished painter and creative designer. He is a graduate of Wesleyan University, where he played four years of varsity soccer. Jonathan will live on campus, teach a section of English, and be a dorm associate in Fuller Hall.

Leslie Reed joins our Science Department and will teach Biology and several upper level electives, including Biomedical Ethics and Molecular Biology. Leslie has taught at Vermont Academy, Putney School, Master's School, and in 2014 at Buxton School. She also worked as a research scientist focused on molecular biology and molecular genetics. A graduate of Guilford College, Leslie is an avid athlete and musician. Leslie will be the head girls' tennis coach and assist in soccer. She will live on campus and be a dorm associate in Kotchen.

Andrew Yuan '05 joins our Languages Department as a Chinese teacher. Andrew is a graduate of Grinnell College, where he double majored in Chinese and Economics. From 2009 to 2014 he was a senior investment analyst at the Fuh Hwa Investment Trust in Taipei, Taiwan. Andrew played tennis at Grinnell and will coach tennis and soccer at Suffield. He will live on campus and be a dorm associate in Hornick.